Hythe Pier Heritage Association

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Hythe Pier Heritage Association

The Hythe Pier restoration charity. Restoring Hythe's Victorian pier and world record holding train, to create a community hub and tourist attraction

The Hythe Pier Heritage Association's long term objective is "To operate, maintain, enhance and develop the historic Hythe Pier and Train for the benefit of the community, visitors and ferry users.".

03/09/2026

Glass installed, interior lighting installed, gearbox installed. Moving onto the electrical wiring in the driver's cab, prior to the gel coat being applied to the roof. Solid progress in the restoration of the driving carriage.

19/08/2026

Progress continues on our third carriage restore. The glass has been fitted to most of the windows and work is ongoing to install the interior lighting.

05/08/2026

Our third carriage restoration is really taking shape. Seats are in, floors laid, paintwork mostly complete. Several important steps still to complete, but it is looking very good. Massive thanks to our volunteering team for all their hard work and enthusiasm 👍💪🚂

23/07/2026

In the last post we saw the wood for the pier safety rail project being delivered. Today it was the turn of the the steel work to arrive. Again, so many thanks to our chums at Hythe Shed (at the pier) and other pier volunteers for "mucking in" to unload the goods.

16/07/2026

This morning saw another load of planks delivered for the continuing restoration of the pier. This project which is designed and funded by Hythe Pier Heritage Association, but delivered by our chums at Hythe Shed (at the pier), will improve the state of safety rail on the east side of the pier (the rail furthest from the public).

15/07/2026

In our last post we looked at what is being done to improve accessibility of the train. In this post we look at how we are improving maintenance of the restored carriage. We have installed inspection hatches in the floor of the carriage and replaced the side of the brake mechanism with perspex. Both of these simple improvements make inspection easier and maintenance cheaper.

11/07/2026

Improving accessibility has been a long term goal of HPHA, and we’ve been working on it through our current carriage restoration project.

To achieve better access, we have modified the original design of the carriage. The front compartment now has a larger space to allow access by a wheelchair. This is achieved by re-arranging the seating and building the carriage with an additional door. This door increases the width of the carriage entrance. When the additional door is closed, the original "look" of the carriage is maintained.

Additionally, our track and station replacement project, which ended two years ago, considered accessibility in the layout and design of the station platform.

It’s important to us to enable better access to the train for all members of the community.

27/06/2026

Come down and visit the workshop and see restoration work in progress at
Free train rides all day til 4pm

31/05/2026

During restoration of the train we look for opportunities to reduce ongoing maintenance. The addition of a small copper edge on the roof corner makes rain water run away cleanly rather than running down the sides of the carriage. Just a small thing, but a big improvement further down the line.....

12/05/2026

Unveiling of renovated Hythe Pier Railway Luggage Truck

Hythe Pier Heritage Association unveiled its Hythe Pier Railway renovated luggage truck on Thursday May 7th, following 15 months of painstaking craftsmanship, volunteer Jeff Drodge has completed the rebuilding using as much of the original parts and materials as possible.

It was constructed in 1909, one of two, for the transportation of “heavy goods and passenger’s luggage” along the 640 metres length of Hythe Pier. Propulsion was by manpower along tracks sunk into the decking on the north side of the structure in May 1909. Although not as originally intended, ferry passengers and promenaders were occasionally afforded a “lift”. The trucks were modified for the wider gauge raised track installed on the south side in 1921. The electric railway, drawing power from a third rail, commenced operating in July 1922.

Whilst the truck still in use after 117 years is pushed or pulled along the tracks daily, the other truck didn’t fare so well, having been shunted from the pier into the water just weeks after the railway was inaugurated. No record can be found of any recovery.

The surviving truck differed very little from its original design until this renovation. Whilst much of the undercarriage and the bogies have been retained, the former elevated flatbed arrangement has been removed with new side panels now fitted. One side is hinged, allowing it to be dropped down for easier loading. Racks have been installed to allow the transportation of two bicycles.

The renovation is a part of Hythe Pier Heritage Association’s programme to restore Hythe’s historic pier and iconic pier railway. Further work will need further funding; donations can be made through the community benefit society’s website www.hythepierha.org.uk.

Address

The Grove, 25 St John's Street
Hythe
SO456BZ

Website

http://www.HythePier.org.uk/

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